Kinship care - Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 - part 13: updated guidance 2024

Appendix A: Useful Organisations and Supports

Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland (KCASS)

The Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government to provide independent advice and guidance to all kinship carers and those who support them.

Social Security Information

Those kinship carers and guardians who are caring for non-looked after children and young people may apply for any means-tested state benefits. Local authorities will wish to take any means-tested child-related state benefits received into account when calculating the Scottish Recommended Allowance, to ensure that there is no double funding.

Local authorities should encourage and support kinship carers and guardians to access all relevant benefits for the children in their care. It is advisable to encourage such carers to seek specialist benefit advice. To find out more about social security benefits visit Children and family - mygov.scot

There are national organisations, such as Citizens Advice Scotland and Child Poverty Action Group that can provide specialised advice and support on how to make a claim (see Appendix G for contact details).

Legal Aid

When a kinship carer or prospective kinship carer is applying for a kinship care order they may be asked to explore legal aid as an option for covering the cost of the action before the local authority funding is considered. For more information visit the Scottish Legal Aid Board website. Home - Scottish Legal Aid Board (slab.org.uk)